Mon ami

Translating word by word from French to English can get you into a lot of "trouble" here in France.  Yesterday, I joined Gigi and Thomas for lunch and we went to the Parc Montholon just a few streets from the office.  It was such a beautiful day, and it was time to enjoy it - I am stuck in the office enough working from 10-7pm - it's important to get out and take advantage of the long lunch break I am given.  

Since Nathalie showed Thomas my photos back when we had first met, he has really liked my work.  He is part of a band that plays rock metal music and approached me yesterday to ask if I wanted to take pictures of his band.  I said I would love to and am available pretty much every weekend except the first one in July as I am going with "mon ami" to Amsterdam for a techno/electronic festival called Sensation.  He quickly replied - oh you have an "ami" here - very shocked.  "Mon ami" is more than simply "my friend", rather as a boyfriend.  That started all three of us on the topic of how to simply express friend in French, which got us into the top of the many differences between guys and girls from the US.  There are too many different ways to say "friend" in French - but it depends on the context in which you are using it to express its meaning.  If you say "un ami" rather than "mon ami" - the pronoun implies the different - however, "un petit ami" and "mon ami" are the same thing.  

There is also a big difference concerning the notion of dating here.  Thomas, having gone to school in the states for a few years, tried to explain to Gigi and I the difference, using the example of how he met his present girlfriend versus girls he met in the US during that time.  Here, if you meet or go out with a guy and you kiss at the end you WILL almost all the time make plans to see the person again and then probably after a couple more times he is "mon ami".  However, in the states girls/guys will date multiple guys at the same time.  For this reason, the French have a stereotype of Americans as "whores".  

It was very interesting to hear from them how it functions here, because to be honest, it is how it should function in the states.  The French are more into the traditional ways, and that is how it should be.  Still after the conversation, I am unclear on how to say "my friend" - I am sure I will figure it out in the next few days.  

Today, I am working on that CD cover of the guitar I mentioned a couple days ago.  I'm excited because I get to do something creative, that might win the competition between the other freelances offered to work on the same cover.  Lugging my camera and laptop to work will not be too much fun, but on the plus side, no schemas and archive searching today!!!